Prefabricated building construction



y 9, 1969 T. ALBERS 3,457,698

PREFABRICATED BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 2, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 mvzsmox Tau/w: fiLBE'ES Anne/V915 July 29, 1969 'r. ALBERS 3,457,698

PREFABRI CATED BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 2, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 45 45 ,aa INVENTOR 7'u/v/s 194 852.5

A r Toe/v5 Ys y 9, 1969 1-. ALBERS 3,457,698

PREFABRICATED BUILDING CONSTRUCTION .Filed Nov. 2. 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

FIG.2O

727mm? ALBBQS Arraezv: rs

July 29, 1969 T. ALBERS 3,457,593

PREFABRICATED BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Rev. 2, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 F1525 FIG.22

2 0 FIG.25

97 I N VENTOR.

72-u/v/s 4%5525 BY M MM firm/vars United States Patent Office 3,457,698 Patented July 29, 1969 Int. Cl. E04g 21/00; E04d 15/00 US. Cl. 52-225 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Rapidly constructable support members forming a frame for receiving structural panels, and connecting members for retaining the panels on the frame to form a prefabricated building.

RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of applicants application Ser. No. 503,967, filed Oct. 23, 1965 and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present invention relates to rapidly constructable prefabricated buildings.

Description of the prior art Presently existing prefabricated buildings known to applicant are either flimsy in construction or incapable of being quickly dismantled for location or reconstruction at a new location.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention includes rapidly constructable frame members and complemental retaining members for securing building panels onto such frame members.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one form of prefabricated building embodying the features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front view of the front left corner of the building of FIG. 1 with central portions of the vertical members broken away and removed;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional side view taken along the line 33 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional top view taken along the line 44 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a side wall supporting member and inner wall connecting member, together with a pair of wall panels, illustrating the manner of their connection;

FIG. 6 is a sectional top view taken along the line 66 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional top view similar to FIG. 6 only with the inner wall connecting member locking the wall panels in place and a cap covering the vertical channel of the inner wall connecting member to provide a wiring conduit;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional side view of the inner wall, ceiling and floor construction of the prefabricated building, taken along the line 8-8 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional side view, similar to the upper portion of FIG. 8, illustrating a ceiling support member securing a pair of ceiling panels, with a finishing cap covering the bottom surface of the ceiling support member;

FIG. 10 is a sectional side view similar to FIG. 9 with an elongated member including a plurality of downwardly extending fingers locked into the ceiling support member and a cap covering the bottoms of the fingers to define a plurality of conduits for receiving wiring for the'prefabricated building;

FIG. 11 is a sectional side view similar to FIG. 9 with a tubular conduit locked to and extending along the ceiling support member;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 12--12 in FIG. 1, illustrating the ceiling joint between adjacent ceiling panels in the building construction; FIG. 13 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 1313 in FIG. 1, illustrating the connecting joint between adjacent inner wall panels in the building construction;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary sectional top view taken along the line 1414 of FIG. 1, illustrating the connection of an inner wall and a pair of wall panels by a vertical wall support member and an inner wall connecting member;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary sectional top view taken along the line 14-14 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary sectional top view of an alternate form of wall panel connection;

FIG. 17 is a sectional side view taken along the line 17--17 in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a fragmentary perspective view of an alternate form of wall construction for the prefabricated building;

FIG. 19 is a sectional side view taken along the line 19-19 in FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a front view of an A-frame building embodying features of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a sectional view taken along the line 2121 in FIG. 20, illustrating the ceiling and wall construction of the A-frame building;

FIG. 22 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view similar to FIG. 5, and showing a different form of side wall supporting member and inner wall connecting member;

FIG. 23 is a vertical sectional view showing the side wall supporting member and inner wall connecting member of FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a horizontal sectional view of the unassembled parts, taken along the line 24-24 of FIG. 22; and

FIG. 25 is a view similar to FIG. 24, but illustrating the parts in assembled relation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The prefabricated building is represented generally in FIG. 1 by the numeral 10 and includes a flat combination roof-ceiling 11, a floor 12, four outer walls 13, a conventional door 14 and window 15, and an iner wall 16 dividing the building into two rooms 17 and 18.

Briefly, the outer walls 13 are formed of a plurality of outside wall panels 20 joined at their marginal vertical edges by a plurality of right, left, and similar front and rear wall panel support members, 22, 24 and 26, respectively. Each right wall panel support member 22 is aligned opposite a different left wall panel support member 24 and is connected top and bottom thereto by a floor panel support member 28 and a ceiling panel support member 30. The floor panel support members 28 support a plurality of floor panels 32 (see FIG. 8), while the ceiling panel support members 30 support a plurality of ceiling or roof panels 34 comprising the combination roof-ceiling 11 of the building 10. The front and rear wall panel support members 26 extend vertically between, are connected to the outside of the front and rearmost floor and ceiling support members, and support the panels 20 com- 3 r prising the front and rear walls of the building 10. Horizontal tie rods 36 and 38 extend through the end portions of the ceiling and floor panel support members 30 and 28, respectively, and hold the walls, floor, and ceiling of the building 10 tightly together to insure a sturdy, weather-resistant building construction.

More particularly, the mode of connection of the ceiling and floor panel support members and 28 to the wall panel support members is as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 for the front-left corner of the building 10 including the wall panel support member 24. As represented, each ceiling panel support member 30- comprises a pair of generally C-shaped, elongated members 30 and 41 joined back-to-back, as by welding, to form a horizontal, generally I-shaped beam. The I-beam includes a central portion 42 and a pair of opposing side channels 43 and 44, each including the central portion 42, a flat upper side 45, a flat lower side 46 and downwardly and upwardly directed flat-edged flanges 47v and 48, respec: tively, extending from the marginal edges of the upper and lower sides, respectively. The lower back portions of the members and 41 are set away from the Planes of the upper back portions to define a longitudinally ex tending horizontal groove 50 in the central portion 42 of the ceiling support member 30. The groove 50 is adapted to receive an upwardly extending tongue 52 of the wall panel support member 24.

But for the tongue 52 (FIG. 3), the construction of the wall panel support member 24 (as well as each member 22) is the same as the construction of the ceiling panel support member 30. The member 24 comprises a pair of C-shaped, elongated members 53 and 54 joined back-to-back to form a vertical, generally I-shaped beam including a central portion 62 (FIG. 5), flat inner and outer sides 55 and 56 with inwardly flanged edges 57 and 58, and a vertically extending groove 60 in the central portion 62, which groove faces in the direction of the floor panel support member 28. The tongue 52 extends longitudinally upward from the wall panel support member 24 and is formed by cutting away the inner and outer sides 55 and 56 and by flattening out the central portion 62 to remove the groove 60 such that the tongue 52 fits upwardly into the horizontal groove 50 in the ceiling panel support member 30 where it is secured by a pair of bolts 64.

Referring to FIG. 2, a generally triangular bracket plate 66 also extends upwardly within the horizontal groove 50 in the ceiling panel support member 30 and is there connected by a pair of bolts 68. The support bracket 66 includes a right angularly flanged portion 70 secured to the outer side 56 of the wall panel support member 24 by a pair of bolts 72 to provide an extremely rigid connection between the upper end of the member 24 and the ceiling panel support member 30.

The floor panel support member 28 is identical in construction to the ceiling panel support member 30 except that it includes horizontally extending tongues 74 (FIG. 3) at both ends. The tongues 74 conform to the vertically extending tongues 52 of the member 24 and extend into vertical grooves 60 in an aligned set of members 24 and 22 where they are secured by bolts 76. In addition to the tongues 74, and as most clearly shown in FIG. 8, each fioor panel support member 28 comprises a pair of generally C-shaped, elongated members 78 and 79 joined back-to-back to define opposing side channels having flat, upper sides 80, flat lower sides 81, and flat edged flanged marginal edges 82 and 83. The upper back portions of the members 78 and 79 are set away from the planes of the lower back portions to define a longitudinally extending, horizontal groove 86 in a central portion 84 of the floor support member 30. As will be hereinafter described, the groove 86 is adapted to receive a floor panel connecting member to lock a pair of floor panels in place over the support member 28.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 for the tie rod 36, the upper and lower tie rods 36 and -38 pass through the central portions of the I-shaped ceiling and fioor panel support members 30 and 28 with nuts 36a and 38a threadedly engaging the ends of the tie rods beyond the front and rearmost'floor and ceiling support members. The nuts exert forces on the front and rearmost ceiling and floor support members along the tie rods to securely hold the ceiling, walls and floor of the building 10 together.

port members 30 and 28 in the manner illustrated in FIGS.

1 and 4. In particular, for the junction of members 26 and 28, a portionof the outside of the member 28 is cut away, i.e. arectangular portion of the upper side 80 (FIGS. 1 and 8) and flange 82 is removed from the member 28 together with a similar portion of the flange 83 to form a cutout for receiving the bottom of the member 26. Referring to FIG. 4, the construction of the front and rear wall panel support members 26 is identical to the ceiling panel support members 30, and they are assembled with their grooves opening inwardly toward the center of the building 10. With continued reference to FIG. 4, the flat inside surfaces of the lower portion of the members 26 abut the outside of the central portions 84 of the members 28 and are secured thereto by a pair of bolts 87. In this manner, each front and rear wall panel support member 26 is secured in place with its vertical groove adapted to receive a wall panel connecting member for holding a pair of wall panels in place, as will hereinafter be described.

In particular, the manner of locking the wall panels in place is substantially the same for all wall panel support members. The mode of construction for one embodiment is most clearly depicted in FIGS. 5, 6, 7, 14 and 15 wherein a pair of wall panels 20 are supported by a right-side wall panel support member 22 and a vertical wall panel 7, 14 and 15, the reference numerals applied to the parts of the member 24 will be applied to like parts of the mem ber 22.

As illustrated, the vertically extending groove 60 in the central portion 62 of the member 22 faces the inside of the building 10. For the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 a plurality of vertically spaced pin-like cross members are disposed within and extend across the groove 60. The cross-members are preferably formed by opposing indentations 91 (see FIG. 6) in the back portions of the C-shaped members 53 and 54 and are adapted to provide means for locking the wall panel connecting member 88 within the groove 60. v In this regard, the wall panel connecting member 88 includes a vertically extending tongue 92 having a plurality of vertically spaced, inclined slots 93, adapted to receive and lock around the cross-members 90 thereby holding the connecting member in place. In addition, the connecting member 88 includes a vertically extending, channel-shaped base portion 94 having a flat, vertical wall 95 extending on opposite sides and normal to the tongue 92. When the tongue 92 is locked in place, the flat wall 95 presses tightly against the marginal edges of adjacent wall panels 20 to securely clamp the panels between the flat edges 55 of the support member 22 and the flat wall 95. A similar construction exists at each wall panel support member to secure the marginal edges of adjacent Wall panels 20 in place to complete the four walls of the building 10. 1

For the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 22. through 25, the construction of the support members, generally designated 22a and connecting members, generally designated 88a, is generally similar to that of the respective members 22 and 88, except for the structure by which they are assembled to one another.

The support members 22a include a pair of oppositely facing, back-to-back, channels 193 and 195 which have their bases or back walls 197 and 199, respectively, spaced apart throughout a portion of their Width to define the slot 60 opening into the flat surface 55.

The support members 22a are provided with a plurality of pairs of aligned wedge receiving slots 201 in the opposite walls 197 and 199. A similar slot 203 is included in the tongue 92a of the connecting members 88a for each of the pairs of slots 201 and wedges 205 are inserted into the slots 201 and 203 to fasten the support and connecting members 22a and 880, respectively, together.

Referring to FIG. 25, each wedge 205 is formed with a straight back side 207 and an angled front side 209, whereby when the wedge 205 is hammered through the slots 201 and 203 the straight side 207 will slide along the front end of the slots 201 and the angled side 209 will bear against the back end of the slot 203. Thus, in assembling the support member 22a and connecting member 88a the wedge 205 will be driven into the slots 201 and 203 a distance sutlicient to pull the surface 95 tightly against the adjacent portions of the panels 20 to hold them firmly in place. The wedge 205 is easily removed by merely hammering it back out of the slots 201 and 203, although the wedge 205 can be bent over to provide a more permanent retention.

With this arrangement it is not necessary to leave a space above each of the connecting members 88a to enable their separation from their associated support members 22. In contrast, spaces usually must be provided above the members 88 of FIG. 5 to enable the members 88 to be elevated for disengaging the slots 93 and members 90.

As illustrated most clearly in FIG. 14, the channelshaped base portion 94 of the connecting member 88 is adapted to receive the edge of an inner wall panel 96 for forming the inner wall 16. However, if no inner wall is desired at the particular connecting point of the wall panels 20, the channel may be covered by a cap 97 (see FIG. 7) to form a vertically extending conduit for receiving the electrical wiring for the building 10. Alternatively, instead of including a channel-shaped base portion, the base of the connecting member 88 may be flat and normal to the tongue 92 as illustrated at 95 in FIG. 15, to provide a generally flat, inner Wall surface at the junction of adjacent wall panels 20.

In addition to being supported at their ends by the channel-shaped bases of the connecting members 88, the panels 96 comprising the inner wall 16 are connected along their joints in the manner illustrated in FIG. 13 and are supported between the side wall supporting members 22 and 24 at their upper and lower marginal edges in the manner illustrated in FIG. 8.

The joint connection between the aligned inner Wall panels 96 simply comprises a vertical, generally T-shapod connecting member 98 having a fiat base 99 and a 'bifurcated central leg 100. The leg is normal to the base and extends between adjacent panels 96 with vertically spaced pin-like cross-members 102 extending between the sides of the leg. On an opposite side of the inner wall panels 96 is another T-shaped, vertically extending, connecting member 104 having a flat base 105 and a tongue 106 normal to the base. The tongue 106 includes a plurality of vertically spaced inclined slots 107 for receiving and locking around the pin-like cross-members 102 to clamp the vertical marginal edges of the inner wall panels 96 between the flat bases 99 and 105.

The top and bottom support for the inner wall panels 96 is identical to the and support provided by the connecting members 88 for the vertical marginal edges. In particular, and most clearly illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, connecting members 88 and 88" having tongues 92' and 92 and channel base portions 94' and 94" are locked in the horiontal grooves 50 and 86, respectively, of the ceiling and floor panel support members 30 and 28, respectively, the same manner as the connecting member 88 is locked in the vertical groove 60 in the wall panel support members. The channel portions of the connecting members 88' and 88" are adapted to receive and tightly hold the upper and lower marginal edges of the inner wall panels 96 to form the inner wall 16 dividing the building 10 into rooms 17 and 18.

In addition to supporting the inner wall panels, the connecting members 88" lock the floor panels 32 in place in the same manner as the connecting member 88 locks the side walls 20 to the wall panel support members 22, 24 and 26. In particular, the flat base of the channel portion 94" presses downwardly against an upper marginal edge of adjacent floor panels 32 to lock them securely between the flat base and the flat upper sides 80 of the floor panel support members 28.

At the joints between floor panels 32 where there is no inner wall, it is of course desired to maintain the floor as smooth as possible, yet to seal the joint between the fioor panels. In such intsances, the connecting member 86 may be of the form illustrated in FIG. 15 including a plain, fiat base.

The manner of securing the ceiling panels 34 in place is most clearly represented in FIGS. 1, 2, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. As illustrated, the ceiling panels 34 are dimensioned such that the front and back marginal edges thereof fit tightly within the side channels 43 and 44 of the ceiling panel support members 30 with bottoms resting upon the upwardly extending flanges 48. Thus positioned, the ceiling panels are secured in place by generally Z-shaped, elongated braces 108 having flat top and bottom portions 109 and 110 pressing upwardly on the upper sides 45 of the side channels and downwardly on marginal edges of the ceiling panels 34.

In addition, the junctions of the ceiling panels 34 be tween the right and left walls of the building 10 are sealed as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 12. In particular, the right and left marginal edges of adjacent ceiling panels 34 fit tightly into opposing side channels 112 and 113 of a generally I-shaped cross-connecting member 114. The cross-connecting member may be formed of a sheet metal material and a waterproof sealant is added around the junction of the ceiling panels within and without the channels to insure a watertight connection. In this manner, the cross-connecting member 114, as well as the tight fit of the sealing panels within the support members 30, insures a watertight roof and ceiling construction of the building 10. In addition, with the ceiling panels 34 resting on top of the flanges 48, the portions of the support members 30 below the panels form conduits 116. If any water seeps around the ends of the panels, it flows into the conduit 116 and laterally along roof of the building and oil one end. In this regard, it is generally desired that the Wall panel support members at one side of the building 10 be slightly taller than the wall panel support members at the other side in order to allow for complete water run-off from the roof.

In addition to provide support for the ceiling panels 34, and top support for the upper marginal edges of inner wall panels 96, the ceiling panel support members 30 may be utilized to support conduits for receiving electrical wiring for the building 10. Such arrangements are illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11 wherein the connecting members 88' lock into the horizontal grooves 50 in the ceiling support members 30 and in FIG. 10 include a plurality of to hold an inner wall in place, the inner ceiling joint between adjacent wall panels may be covered by a flat cap, such as in FIG. 9, wherein the connecting member 88 simply includes a flat base 94 and a vertically extending tongue locked in the horizontal groove in t e ceiling panel support member.

An alternate form of wall panel connection is illustsated in FIGS. 16 and 17 and comprises a generally I- shaped wall panel support member 22' together with a channel-shaped vertically extending wall panel connecting member 126. The connecting member 126 includes a flat base 128 extending laterally beyond and normal to the sides 130 of the member. Downwardly inclined hooks 132 extend from forward ends of the side members 130 had through elongated slits 134 in the flat side 136 of the support member 22'. Thus connected, the marginal edges of a pair of wall panels 20 are scecurely clamped between the fiat side of the support member 22' and the flat extensions of the base 128 of the connecting member 126.

When it is desired to form the side walls of the building of a plywood material, the side walls have a tendency to bow slightly when the tie rods 36 and 38 are slipped into place and tightened to hold the building together. To combat this problem, the reinforcing structure of FIGS. 18 and 19 may be usefully employed for the wall construction.

In the illustrated alternate form of the wall construction, the side wall panel support members 22, 24 and 26, ceiling panel support members 30 and floor panel support members 28 are of the construction previously described. However, the upper marginal edge of each side wall 20 is covered and received by a reinforcing channel 138. The channel 138 is preferably formed of sheet metal and includes a hooked inner side which may be utilized for hanging pictures, utensils and the like within the building 10. The lower marginal edge of each of the wall panels 20 is also covered and received by a reinforcing channel 140. The channel 140 is preferably formed of sheet metal and rests upon and is secured to a generally L-shaped bracket 142. The bracket 142 fits over the outer edge of the floor panel 32 and is secured to the top of the floor panel by nails 144. The sheet metal preferably forming the reinforcing channels 138 and 140 is thin enough to fit between the flat faces of the connecting members 88 and the wall panel support members without interfering with the previously described manner of wall connection. However, the reinforcing channels 138 and 140 are stiff enough to reinforce the upper and lower marginal edges of the wall panels 20 to prevent bowing thereof when the tie rods are tightened.

In FIGS. 20 and 21 there is illustrated a prefabricated A-frame building 146 constructed in accordance with the features of the present invention. The front and rear wall support members 26, as well as a front ceiling member 30 which acts as an upper floor support member, are of the form previously described. The front and rear support members 148 for the combination ceiling and roof of the A-frame building, however, are of the form illustrated in cross section FIG. 21.

As represented, the support members 148 comprise a plurality of metal pieces bent and welded together to form a generally I-shaped beam 150 having a central portion 152 and inner and outer side walls 154 and 156 with fiat-edged flanges 158 extending from the marginal edges thereof. Downwardly directed pockets 160 extend longitudinally along opposite sides of the central portion while the inner side 154 of the support member is connected to the central portion by a rectangular downwardly directed channel portion 162. The channel portion 162 combines with the inner side 154 to form wire-receiving conduit 164 for the building.

As with the ceiling panels of the building 10, the ceiling and roof panels 166 of the A-frame building 146 are dimensioned to fit within the side channels in the support member 148. There, the panels 166 rest on top of the flange 158 extending from the inner side 154 and on top of the flat upper edge of the channel portion 162. Each panel 166 is held in this position by a generally V-shaped resilient, metal brace member 168 which slips longitudinally into a pocket and presses on top of the upper marginal edge of the panel. Also in this position, a gutter 170 is formed below the panel 166 for receiving any water seepage around the end of the panel and for directing the water flow to the ground. In this manner, an extremely sturdy, waterproof roof construction is provided for the building 146.

In view of the foregoing, it is appreciated that the present invention provides a prefabricated building construction which is simple in design and which may be rapidly and simply assembled into an extremely sturdy and weather-resistant structure. The structure is long-lasting and because of the simplicity of its components is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

While particular forms of prefabricated building constructions have been described in some detail herein, changes and modifications may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

I claim:

1. A prefabricated building, comprising:

a plurality of spaced vertically extending right, left,

front and rear wall panel support members, each including a fiat inner side wall with a vertical groove, and each left wall panel support member aligned with a different right wall panel support member;

a plurality of right, left, front and rear wall panels;

a plurality of generally T-shaped, elongated vertical wall panel connectors, one for each wall panel support member and each including a fiat base and a tongue extending from said base for locking in a vertical groove to lock the marginal edges of a pair of wall panels between said base and the flat face of the associated wall support member;

a plurality of horizontal floor panel support members, one for each set of aligned right and left wall panel support members and each including a flat, horizontal top and a longitudinally extending tongue for locking in the vertical grooves of the associated set of wall panel support members;

a plurality of fioor panels resting on top of said tops of said floor panel support members;

means connecting said front and rear wall panel support members to the outside of the right and leftmost floor panel support members;

a plurality of generally I-shaped, horizontal ceiling panel support members, one for each set of right and left wall panel support members and each including a hollow central portion having an open bottom to define a horizontal groove and opposing side channels including said central portion and upper and lower sides;

tongues extending upward from said right and left wall panel support members for locking into said h0rizontal grooves;

means connecting said front and rear wall panel support members to the outside of the right and leftmost ceiling support member;

a plurality of ceiling panels each with opposing marginal edges seated in different ones of said side channels of said ceiling panel support members;

and elongated braces having flat top and bottom portions for pressing against the upper sides of the side channels in said ceiling panel support members and against the top of the marginal edges of the ceiling panels in said channels to secure said ceiling panels in place.

2. The prefabricated building of claim including tie rods extending horiozntally from the front to the rear of the building through said fioor and ceiling panel support members to hold the building together.

3. The prefabricated building of claim 1 wherein flatedged flanges extend upwardly from marginal edges of said lower sides of said generally I-shaped ceiling panel support members and said marginal edges of said ceiling panels rest on said flanges to define condiuts below said ceiling panels.

4. The prefabricated building of claim 1 wherein said grooves include pin-like cross extension and wherein said tongues of said vertical wall panel connectors include inclined slots for receiving and locking around said pinlike extensions to lock said tongues in said grooves.

5. The prefabricated building of claim 1 wherein said flat, horizontal tops of said floor panel support members include horizontal grooves and wherein said prefabricated building includes a plurality of floor panel connecting members, each having a flat base and a tongue for locking in the horizontal groove of a difierent floor panel support member to lock marginal edges of a pair of floor panels between its flat base and the flat, horizontal top of the associated floor panel support member.

6. The prefabricated building of claim 1 including a plurality of generally T-shaped ceiling caps having generally fiat bases and tongues extending therefrom for locking within the horizontal grooves in said ceiling panel support members.

7. The prefabricated building of claim 1 including a plurality of ceiling conduit members including an elongated conduit portion and a tongue extending vertically therefrom for locking in the horizontal grooves in said ceiling panel support members.

8. The prefabricated building of claim 1 wherein particular ones of said vertical wall panel connectors include vertically extending channel-shaped base portions for receiving the vertical marginal edges of inner walls and wherein said prefrabricated building includes a plurality of inner wall panels with vertical marginal edges extending into said channels in said vertical wall panel connectors.

9. The prefabricated building of claim 8 wherein said flat horizontal tops of said floor panel support members include horizontal grooves and wherein said prefabricated building includes a plurality of upper and lower inner wall support members including elongated channel portions receiving the upper and lower marginal edges of said inner walls and tongues for locking in said horizontal grooves in said ceiling and floor panel support members.

10. The prefabricated building of claim 1 and including a pair of spaced apart walls extending laterally of each said side wall to form said vertical groove, said spaced apart Walls including a plurality of aligned pairs of horizontally elongated slots:

wherein said tongues of said vertical wall panel connectors include a plurality of horizontally elongated slots;

and wherein said building further includes a plurality of wedges disposed in said slots and locking said tongues in said grooves.

11. A ceiling, wall and floor construction in a prefabricated building, comprising:

a generally I-shaped ceiling panel support member including a hollow central portion open at the bottom to define a groove, and opposing side channels including said central portion and upper and lower sides;

an elongated brace having flat top and bottom portions for pressing against said upper side of one of the channels and against the top of a ceiling panel in said channel to secure said panel in place;

a generally T-shaped Wall top support member including an elongated channel portion for receiving the upper marginal edge of a wall and a tongue for locking in said groove in said ceiling panel support memher;

a floor support member having a flat floor panel supporting surface and a horizontal groove therein;

and a generally T-shaped wall bottom support member including an elongated channel for receiving the bottom marginal edge of said wall panel and a tongue for locking in said groove in said floor panel support member.

12. The construction of claim 11 including flat-edged flanges extending upward from marginal edges of said lower side of said ceiling panel support member to sup port the bottom marginal edges of ceiling panels Within said opposing side channels to define conduits below said panels. 7

13. An outer wall-floor construction in a prefabricated building, comprising:

a plurality of spaced vertical members each including a flat side having a vertical groove therein;

a plurality of spaced horizontal floor panel support members, each having a tongue for locking in the groove of a different vertical member;

a plurality of fioor panels for resting on said floor support members;

a plurality of vertical wall panels for resting on top of said floor panels against said vertical members;

a plurality of generally T-shaped connecting members, each including a tongue for locking in the groove of a different vertical member to hold marginal edges of adjacent wall panels in place;

a tie rod extending between and through said floor support members for forcing said floor and wall panels together;

and top and bottom reinforcing channels along and overand top and bottom marginal edges of said wall panels to prevent bowing of said wall panels, the bottom reinforcing channel including flanges for connectmg to said floor panels.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,339,601 5/1920 Maehler 52-282 1,400,683 12/1921 Keogan 24 1,506,442 8/1924 OHara 52468 1,949,215 2/ 1934 McCaig 52-264 2,053,438 9/1936 Lunken et al. 52468 2,079,635 5/1937 Sharp 52282 2,114,791 5/1938 Williams 52-461 2,226,248 12/1940 Lunken 52464 2,438,140 3/1948 Auten 52464 2,574,074 11/1951 Vogel 52-280 3,016,116 1/1962 Clevenger 52489 HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

